For the first time since 2012, the Humboldt Area Foundation will operate under the leadership of a new Chief Executive Officer.

In June, the foundation’s board of directors appointed Bryna Lipper to take over from Patrick Cleary, who will remain with the foundation through 2023 in a new position as director of community prosperity.

Lipper comes to the foundation with more than three decades of experience. She was chosen from among some 90 initial applicants, a number that was whittled down to six and finally to the selection of Lipper.

“Bryna’s unique professional experiences in philanthropy and her deep strategic approach to her work makes her an excellent match for (Humboldt Area Foundation),” board chair Kathryn Lobato said in an email. “Her personal commitment to fostering equitable and resilient communities aligns nicely with HAF’s mission and goals. We look forward to working with Bryna for many years to come and we enthusiastically welcome her aboard.”

Lipper earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government and she co-founded the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Communities initiative. From 2013-18, she served as the initiative’s senior vice president.

In addition to finding a job that fit her passion, Lipper was also looking for a place to settle down and call home. Humboldt County fit the bill.

“I’ve been working in global community development for many years. I’ve worked all over the world and I realized I didn’t have a community of my own even though I’ve been advising hundreds of other places,” Lipper said Thursday. “I started to think about what kind of place I wanted for a forever home and when I started investigating last year I was inspired by the people here and the rural context. So much of community development is focused on urban areas and this is really an opportunity to learn and understand what America’s rural face looks like.”

Lobato pointed to Lipper’s experience, energy and personality as playing key roles in her selection.

“Lipper was the candidate most qualified to take Humboldt Area Foundation to the next level,” said Lobato. “Her presentation to the board included very deep and strategic thinking about the foundation and how we work. Her energy, enthusiasm and experience in managing complexity will be great assets to the foundation.”

For her part, Lipper said that she felt an immediate affinity with the foundation and with the board. Coupled with her positive impressions of the region, she realized she found a permanent home.

“There were a couple of things that caught my interest and one was I developed a really strong rapport with the board,” Lipper said. “They are really diverse in personal experience but very aligned with how a community foundation can do good work. The foundation is doing some pioneering work that is known around the country focused on native culture and history and I look forward to learning.”

Lipper said a focus on community equity particularly as it related to native communities will be a priority of hers as well as focusing on how a community can bounce back from adversity, whether that’s a natural or a manmade disaster.

“I hope to be a really good manager of community donations, I hope to be able to bring some strategic thinking to where we can connect the dots across all programs and I hope to inspire the donors,” Lipper said before lauding the staff she will manage. “The staff is incredibly talented and deeply devoted and being able to tap into their wisdom regardless if it’s specific to Humboldt County or the entire state of California.”